Romaine Sawyers: I want to fire us to play-offs
Romaine Sawyers has challenged himself to score the goals to fire Walsall into the play-offs.
The 23-year-old spent the vast majority of last season playing in-behind a lone striker, but now looks set to be used as a centre-forward with Dean Smith looking to play two up front.
Sawyers has partnered both Tom Bradshaw and Jordan Cook in a striking role over the course of pre-season after Smith experimented with a new 3-5-2 formation.
And the Saint Kitts and Nevis international admits he is relishing his new position.
Sawyers, who scored five goals in the 2014/15 campaign, said: "I know my goal ratio last season wasn't good enough. But now I'm playing further forward I need to be getting more goals.
"I've got a target set with the gaffer but I'm not going to reveal it. I'll keep it between me and him for now.But in this new role I will get more opportunities. Tom Bradshaw aside, as a team we didn't score enough last season.
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"But now for the rest of us it's a new season and a fresh start. I'm really excited and so are all the lads. We know if we get the goals we are capable of we will have a very successful season."
Despite back to back finishes of 13th and 14th in League One over the past two years, Sawyers fully expects the Saddlers to be competing for promotion this year.
"The play-offs are a more than realistic target," he said. "I don't think the league is as strong as it was this time last year.
"But as a group we are stronger. I'm not saying we are going to walk the league, but with the competition for places we have got everyone is working towards the same aim. From the first day of pre-season the desire has been there.
"There are no bad apples in the camp and the spirit is great.
"That desire will be important at the end of the season. There will be times when the going gets tough, we will need to rally together but this group can do that."
